Fasano Statement on Jobs Report: State lost at least 5,500 jobs in September and August

Hartford – Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven) released the following statement regarding the Department of Labor’s report released today which estimates that Connecticut lost 5,200 jobs in September. The report also corrects previous reports that August experienced a job gain of 300 jobs, when in reality there was a job loss of 300 positions in August.

“A loss of 5,200 jobs last month is absolutely unacceptable for Connecticut families. The Democrats’ ‘new economic reality’ is an escalating downward trajectory for our state. They have failed to do enough to help our state reach its potential for job growth,” said Fasano.

“Gov. Malloy recently said that he tells Democrats they should be running on their records. Let’s be clear about what those records include: job losses and consistent budget deficits. Their records also include hiding the facts and delaying when true numbers actually get released. Month after month we see job growth on paper, only to watch it be reduced and corrected the next month to job loss. In August, the Democrat administration said we had a job gain of 300 positions – but it turns out that was actually a loss of 300 positions. The same happened in July, when the administration reported a gain of 1,700, only to correct it the next month to a loss of 800. Even in May when the administration originally reported a job loss, they underestimated that loss by over 2,600 jobs!

“We have to be realistic about the problems families are facing every day in Connecticut. High paying jobs are leaving and low paying jobs are replacing them. Underemployment is a massive issue for working and middle class families. Connecticut lags behind the rest of the nation, and the rest of New England, in job growth. And we still haven’t recovered all the jobs lost since the recession. What Connecticut Democrats in charge of our state are doing right now is not enough to grow the jobs that our families need to survive. We cannot be content with the direction our state is headed. We have to do better,” said Fasano.

Background

Connecticut’s year-to-date job growth rate is 0.8 percent. Not only does that lag behind the national average, Connecticut also ranks last in New England for job recovery rates. Connecticut has only recovered less than 81.1 percent of the jobs lost during the recession. Massachusetts has a job recovery rate of 270 percent, more than three times that of Connecticut. New Hampshire and Vermont also have significant recovery rates of 147.4 percent and 161.9 percent respectively.

As high paying jobs leave Connecticut, low paying jobs are coming in to replace them. In fact, industries with the lowest average wages are leading Connecticut’s employment recovery from the recession.